Wybrane aspekty stosowania organizmów genetycznie zmodyfikowanych w żywieniu zwierząt gospodarskich i medycynie weterynaryjnej

Genetically modified organisms are those in which the genome has been changed by the application of genetic engineering techniques in order to elicit desired properties. Currently, transgenic plants being grown for food and feed purposes are resistant to herbicides, insect pests or diseases. In the future, genetic engineering will serve to enrich feed and food in respect to desirable nutrients. Recent studies have described the ability to control the qualitative and quantitative composition of fatty acids in vegetable oils, the composition of deficient amino acids in cereals and other forage crops, or enrich plants in an easily accessible phosphorus for monogastric animals. Genetic engineering of plants may also allow for the production of vaccines and immunization of animals with plants along with the administered feed. Conducted experimental work indicates the possibility of the production of vaccines, specific proteins or other types of pharmaceutical relevance in veterinary medicine in plant tissue.